1 Kings 20:35-43 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him. 36 Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him. 37 Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him. 38 So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face. 39 And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. 40 And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it. 41 And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. 42 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people. 43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.
The Bible seems to confront us time and time again with the choice of obeying God's word or obeying our hearts. This neighbor of a prophet is confronted with this age old question of doing right or doing what seems right.
The man in the narrative is confronted with an unusual command from God through this prophet. He is commanded in the word of the LORD to strike the prophet. The man refuses to obey this command that is some how revealed to him to be from God and pays for it by being killed by a lion. Now what prompted him to ignore the word of God? Perhaps it was the culturally unacceptable nature of the command he was given. Strike the prophet of God! No one in Israel would think to do such a thing. We too will come face to face with many commands in God's word that go counter to our culture, insult our delicate sensibilities, or differs greatly from the ideas of the masses. The devil uses these contradictions to the word of God to promote our disobedience that he may devour us as he did this man in type. (1Peter 5:8)
What results can we expect from obeying the words of God preserved for us in the Bible? Two results are apparent. When we obey God's word we help others in their walk and service to God. The friend that obeyed the word of God made it possible for the prophet to obey God. Secondly, our obedience can be a catalyst for God dealing with the hearts of others to bring conviction of sin and repentance unto life. Ahab leaves convicted of his sin because of the man that obeyed the word of God. Obedience to God's word is a powerful tool that God uses in our lives and the lives of others, so let us make sure the tool is always available for the Lord's use.
Daily Devotional-Matthew 8:1-13; Luke 7:11-17, 36-50 A Centurion, a Widow's Son and a Sinful Woman
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